What About You?

After convincing Zhu Li, the two hurried home to plan their escape route.

Zhu Li, meanwhile, used the excuse of having some final matters to take care of and temporarily parted ways with them.

At Chen Xi's home, the two tapped away at a laptop on the living room table, searching for information.

They borrowed Zhu Li's account and cross-referenced posts on the Deep Discussion Forum to find weak spots in the Evil Flower organization's encirclement.

Three hours later, Chen Xi finally settled on a rough route.

"Let's take this road." She projected the laptop screen onto the TV.

"First, we'll drive to Linxi City, then take a boat from Linxi City to Huaijiang Port..."

Halfway through, Chen Xi suddenly noticed that Lin Yue wasn't looking at the screen at all. Instead, she kept tilting her head to sneak glances at Chen Xi.

She looked just like a dazed student spacing out in class.

"Lin Yue." Chen Xi called softly, gazing at her with a faintly reproachful look. "Are you listening?"

"Huh?!" The blonde girl's wandering soul snapped back into place.

Chen Xi quietly closed the laptop and said coldly, "Repeat what I just said."

Hearing that, Lin Yue immediately turned toward the TV screen, only to find that Chen Xi had already anticipated her move and cut off the projection.

"Um... We'll take a boat to Linxi City first..." she said, watching Chen Xi's expression as she spoke.

"Then we'll take a plane..." Lin Yue stammered.

Chen Xi sounded helpless. "Planes are the most heavily guarded form of transportation. Can you please listen to me? I'm not joking."

At a time when their lives were on the line, Lin Yue still dared to let her mind wander.

Unless she'd been charmed, then...

Wait... Charmed. Chen Xi glanced at Lin Yue, who was still staring at her. The latter's cheeks were flushed.

At first, she'd thought it was the lighting, but now it didn't seem to be.

Chen Xi's eyes darted away as she tried to keep her voice steady. "Kiss me. You've been charmed by me."

Lin Yue understood at once.

"So that's why I've felt strange from the very beginning. It was your charm again."

As she spoke, she kissed Chen Xi on the cheek without a second thought.

It was a rare chance to kiss Chen Xi under the cover of an excuse, so Lin Yue put her whole heart into it.

Ten seconds later, the two finally ended their long kiss.

"Phew—" Lin Yue let go with satisfaction, breathing softly.

Chen Xi wiped the reddened skin on her right cheek with her sleeve and snapped, "Are you a vacuum cleaner? Why did you kiss me so hard?"

Lin Yue pouted and muttered, "How can you blame me? Whose charm was it, again?"

She folded her arms and said smugly, "If you're not satisfied, you can kiss me back."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Chen Xi changed the subject. "Enough fooling around. Now that we've dealt with that, let's get back to business."

She projected the map again. "After we take a boat to Linjiang, we'll drive the rest of the way to Chaoyu City."

"The only unresolved problem now is Qianqi Weiming."

"From what you said, it took her about a day to find you. If we leave early, we don't know whether she'll sense us ahead of time."

"So in the end, we'll have to settle this with our fists. But along the way, we can deal with local Legends and get stronger."

Lin Yue hesitated. "Even if she's only a lower Third Rank, I don't think we can stand up to her."

"That's why I called Zhu Li," Chen Xi said solemnly.

"The closer she gets to death, the stronger Zhu Li becomes."

"Zhu Li told me she can hold her own against the weakest Third Rank Transcendent for a short time."

"With you and me supporting her, even though there's no typhoon around Linxi City, our odds are still very good."

Everything Chen Xi had just said was made up.

The gap between the Third and Second Ranks was far greater than the gap between the First and Second. As soon as Qianqi Weiming activated her Domain, it would only be a matter of time before they were wiped out.

So in this cycle, Chen Xi had never aimed to survive. She planned to use her own death and this journey to create the highest-quality CG possible.

That was the real way to break the deadlock.

Only a Mythical-grade CG could let them deal with Qianqi Weiming in such a short time.

Unaware that she'd been thoroughly set up, the girl was still immersed in the future Chen Xi had invented. "So you're saying we really can win?"

"More or less." Chen Xi lowered her eyes. The true plan had already taken shape in her mind.

Knock, knock, knock—

The sound of knocking came from the door, and both of them looked toward it.

"Zhu Li's knocking. I'll get it." Lin Yue got up and skipped toward the door.

Watching her cheerful figure, Chen Xi leaned back in her computer chair, her expression unreadable.

"I really am... rotten to the core."

In the living room, the two went over the plan again with Zhu Li.

The red-haired girl listened, then cast a startled glance at Chen Xi before discreetly looking over at Lin Yue, who was brimming with excitement.

[I want to talk to Chen Xi alone. Because of my ability's limitations, I can't let a third person hear us. Xiaoyue, could you give us a moment?]

"Your ability has that kind of limitation?"

Lin Yue looked between the two of them suspiciously.

"Why would I lie?" Chen Xi met her gaze calmly.

"Then I'll go out onto the balcony. Take your time."

Seeing how composed Chen Xi was, Lin Yue believed her. She picked up her phone and drink and headed out to the balcony.

She closed the door, and the atmosphere in the living room immediately turned cold.

[I don't remember ever saying I could hold my own against a Third Rank Transcendent.]

Flames curled around Zhu Li as she sat sideways, trying to read something in Chen Xi's expression.

Now came the test of her acting skills. Chen Xi slipped into character at once.

She looked toward Lin Yue, who had turned her back and was scrolling on her phone on the balcony. Her eyes held a hint of sorrow, as if she were facing her death. "I lied to her."

[Why?] Zhu Li didn't understand.

Chen Xi sounded resigned. "Because we have no chance of winning. You know that too, don't you, Zhu Li?"

[That's true...]

Following her gaze, Zhu Li quietly watched the blonde girl's back.

"But she's different."

"Lin Yue has another hidden ability. When her emotions reach their peak, the power she unleashes will be enough to easily defeat Qianqi Weiming."

Chen Xi's words made Zhu Li understand her plan at once.

[You want to use your death to awaken that ability?]

"Exactly. So, I'm counting on you."

Lin Yue secretly turned halfway around to spy on them. The two withdrew their gazes in unspoken understanding.

"I'm sorry for using you."

Chen Xi's gaze was so sincere that Zhu Li even felt a pang of jealousy.

She wanted to ask, What about you? What are you going to do?

Chen Xi had no tracking device on her. She could absolutely escape on her own.

But...

Zhu Li thought again of her time with the blonde girl. Lin Yue always paid attention to how she was feeling. She was a little clumsy, but she was also very kind...

In the end, Zhu Li stayed silent and didn't ask.

After a long while, she slowly nodded.